Kazakhstan Stops Piping Oil To Black Sea After Spate Of Ukraine Drone Tanker Strikes
Update(0803ET): This development certainly isn't going to help global oil prices stay down... Following a drone attack out of Ukraine days ago on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal along the Black Sea Coast, Kazakhstan has newly confirmed a halt crude transfers there.
"Kazakhstan is set to stop piping crude to a port on Russia’s Black Sea coast after a spate of attacks on tankers that's jeopardizing the landlocked Asian country’s ability to produce oil," Bloomberg reports Tuesday morning.
"The CPC Terminal at the Russian port of Novorossiysk will stop accepting piped supplies because tanker companies are too nervous to send their ships to the facility, two people with knowledge of the matter said," the report continues, describing a developing situation that parallels the ongoing situation of nervous tanker crews who have remained stopped in the Strait of Hormuz, also for fear of being attacked. "The halt is due to begin later on Tuesday," Bloomberg adds.
Additionally, CPC clarified in a statement that "Oil loading operations were suspended. No oil spill occurred and no ignition of oil in the cargo tanks was allowed." The pipeline terminates near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, and while mainly carrying Kazakh supply, it also transports some Russian crude. The Kremlin charged that these recent attacks are part of Ukraine's "ambition to further destabilize the situation on global oil markets".
That would be about 1.6 mm bopd out of 2.1 mm bopd total Kazakh exports. #OOTT https://t.co/k4Bfr0a639
— Z4 Energy Research (@ZmansEnrgyBrain) July 21, 2026
At least one of the tankers recently hit (described below) erupted in an onboard fire after it was struck on the starboard side. Reuters has detailed in the aftermath of a rescue effort that "The international crew of 22 was evacuated using CPC tugboats, with the exception of the captain and chief officer. The tanker remained afloat." Flows had initially resumed after a wave of Sunday attacks on the CPC terminal, but were halted again after strike on tanker Nelsa.
Analysts have been pointing out that as a result of Ukraine's broader drone war on Russian energy sites, Russia's oil refining output has fallen to its lowest level in more than two decades.
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The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of orchestrating a plan to further destabilize global oil markets by carrying out drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Monday remarks, "We are in solidarity with the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in its decisive condemnation of this crime against a civilian facility."
"We regard this attack as yet another confirmation of Bankova's desire to further destabilize the situation on global oil markets," the top diplomat emphasized, referencing the street houses the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"For it, ensuring global energy stability, as well as a respectful attitude toward foreign partners, in particular from Kazakhstan, with whom the Kiev regime allegedly wants to develop mutually beneficial and friendly relations, is an empty phrase," she added.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, which is off Russia's Black Sea cost, confirmed Sunday that it was forced to suspend oil loadings, after a pair of oil tankers came under attack here.
Specifically the Asia and Nissos IOS tankers were attacked, with the former having caught on fire as a result, which was subsequently extinguished by emergency crews.
"There were no injuries or fatalities amongst CPC staff or contractors. There was no oil spill," CPC later clarified while confirming that the tankers remained afloat.
"At present, crude oil loading operations at the terminal have been suspended pending a full assessment of the consequences of the incident," CPC also said, but stopped short of identifying what entity was behind the attack.
Kazakhstan's foreign ministry was outraged. "Upon completion of this assessment, Kazakhstan reserves all rights available under international law to protect its legitimate interests, including seeking full compensation for the damage caused," it said.
This isn't the first time that sections of the key energy route have been targeted by Ukrainian drones. For example a key section of Caspian Pipeline Consortium near Novorossiysk was temporarily been taken offline in a November 2025 attack.
It is surprising that the attacks on Caspian Pipeline Consortium are continuing, and another red line has been crossed, because for the first time in history of naval combat, tankers were attacked at loading point
— RTBreaking (@RT_Breaking) July 20, 2026
— Olzhas Baidildinov, ex-advisor to Energy Minister of Kazakhstan pic.twitter.com/K7OP3oSx7K
The consortium's over 930-mile pipeline connects oil fields in western Kazakhstan and Russian offshore fields in the Caspian Sea to a marine terminal in Novorossiysk, which means the location serves as the main export route for Kazakh oil, and is one of the world’s largest oil conduits by volume.